In comparison to Part 1, the second part of the Summer 2018 Event is a bit more grindy. This is due to several reasons, one of which is, unlike in part 1, the lack of a starting NP gauge effect from the event shop’s Craft Essence. Another reason is that the enemy composition for each node in this part are not only harder to build a team around, but also changes quite considerably between the two highest difficulties - Explosion and Annihilation (after chapter 7).

Do note that the bulk of the farming will still be done in the Annihilation node that unlocks after Chapter 7 of the Main Quest. These recommendations will therefore still be focused mostly on the enemy compositions after Chapter 7, but the Explosion difficulty will be addressed and taken into account as well.

Killing Dolls (Assassins) make up the majority of enemies that you will face in this location. A lack of strong offensive Casters can make this node quite tedious as Killing Dolls have short NP bars and will occasionally do Critical Damage. Exploiting Anti-Divine effects is incredibly useful for Annihilation difficulty due to Raikou having this trait.

High Recommendation

Thanks to his Anti-Divine Noble Phantasm, Karna is extremely useful for Annihilation difficulty as he can handle Minamoto-no-Raikou very well. His high Attack and ability to serve as a Critical Damage Dealer also allow him to do decent damage against the Killing Dolls and Jack the Ripper. He does need to be wary of the Hermit Crab spawns but otherwise, he is tailor-made for this area. For Explosion node, while he does not have bonus damage against Orion, his class advantage still ensures he does great damage against the pair.

Aside from his insane plethora of buffs, Zhuge also possesses a bonus to Oil and class advantage against the Killing Dolls. Amongst Casters, he is one with somewhat high base Attack, making him the perfect choice to beat down the dolls while supporting his team against the various bosses.

When it comes to Anti-Divine, few can outdo the Demon King of Sixth Heaven herself. With the capacity to serve as a Critical Damage Dealer, her Unifying the Nation by Force skill, and an AoE Noble Phantasm, Nobu is more than equipped to deal with Annihilation difficulty due to Raikou possessing both the Divine and Riding trait. She is less effective in Explosion node but nonetheless her damage output is still competent enough to warrant a place in any farming team.

This Olympian Protector of Lolis is extremely useful for both difficulties. His sheer damage and survivability, combined with his bonus drop to Cement, earn him an easy spot in many teams. Heracles also benefits from the event Craft Essence, Chaldea Lifesavers, as it’s a decent replacement for his favorite Castle of Snow for this event.

With 0 Party Cost and a bonus drop to Cement, Mash should be among the first names in every team sheet for this node. Her supportive capacity and resistance to Berserker damage make her a very solid insurance policy for the Annihilation difficulty. Her offensive capacity is quite lackluster, so it is best to put her into the backline unless the team is built around a squishy damage dealer.

Mid Recommendation

Jeanne Alter is very potent for the Annihilation difficulty as she can take out Raikou with a Buster Critical Chain. Her effectiveness in the Explosion difficulty, however, isn’t on the same level due to Orion being quite sturdy and not weak to Jeanne Alter’s damage. Nonetheless, Jeanne Alter’s raw damage is certainly something worth counting upon.

With Animal Dialogue and strong damage output, Kintoki is an easy pick for the Explosion difficulty. For Annihilation difficulty, he is still a strong pick but his lack of an advantage against Raikou like the other Servants makes him less desirable. Furthermore, his frailty can be seriously detrimental as the Killing Doll can easily take him out with one or two Critical Hits.

Kiyohime is one of the few Servants who can do well in both nodes while giving a relevant bonus. She can deal with Orion effectively thanks to her single target Noble Phantasm and class advantage, and does good damage against Minamoto-no-Raikou.

Lancelot does not function well without support in terms of NP charge, but if players can get him to 100% NP gauge prior to the second or third node then he can help the team tremendously with his hard-hitting Knight of Owner. This Noble Phantasm also generates a great sum of Critical Stars, allowing other Servants like Karna or Nobunaga to decimate the boss the turn after. Fortunately, Waver shares a drop bonus with Lancelot.

Thanks to her class advantage over the Killing Dolls and Jack the Ripper (Annihilation difficulty), powerful wave-clearing ability and a relevant bonus, she can do a lot of good work in this node. Elisabeth’s problem is her lack of means to quickly charge her Noble Phantasm, and thus she is reliant on Zhuge Liang or Craft Essences.

Okita and Lancelot (Saber) have a fantastic bonus to Cement as well as high single target damage output. However, they are both unsuited for the Explosion difficulty due to their weakness to Archers. Furthermore, while they are both good Raikou killers, they aren’t particularly effective against both Jack the Ripper or the Killing Dolls.

Apart from a nice bonus to Cement, David can bring a lot of useful utilities to the table. Thanks to Harp of Healing and Charisma, his support capacity is fantastic. Furthermore, he has low cost and better availability for high NP level, making him a great F2P-friendly Servant.

While Hans is more suited for prolonged battles, his low cost, fantastic plethora of strong buffs and a good bonus make him a nice option for newer Masters or Masters who don’t have a strong selection of Servants for this node.

Low Recommendation

More Berserkers with a relevant bonus, Beowulf and Lu Bu lack both the ability to quickly charge their Noble Phantasm like Kintoki and the survivability of Ibaraki and Heracles. Nonetheless, they are still decent options to tackle both difficulties with their strong single target damage.

While these Servants offer no relevant bonus for this node, their bonus damage against Raikou in the Annihilation difficulty make them very strong as a last resort for Masters who do not have the aforementioned Servants.

A quite troublesome node. The selection of Servants that give a bonus to Realta Alloy that are also competent enough to clear this node, are not exactly abundant. The Explosion difficulty is quite annoying as it features 8 Saber enemies with Euryale as the boss. Such an enemy composition can give most Lancers serious trouble. Meanwhile Annihilation difficulty features Jeanne Alter who has no natural counters as of this moment (since BB-chan is still hanging out on the moon). For many Masters it can be problematic to get through her enormous HP bar.

A good approach for the Explosion difficulty is to put your Euryale killer in the backline and only bring him/her out on Wave 3 with the Chaldea Combat Uniform Mystic Code. For Annihilation difficulty, taking out Jeanne Alter should be the priority, as Karna is not particularly hard to take down.

High Recommendation

Vlad is easily among the best damage dealers for this node thanks to his strong Noble Phantasm and Berserker bonus damage. Furthermore, he also grants a very valuable bonus to Realta Alloy and is generally bulkier than most other Berserkers.

Orion is a very powerful single-target damage dealer who can perform well at controlling both Jeanne Alter and Euryale thanks to the NP drain and Critical Chance down effect on her Noble Phantasm. While she is weak to Karna in terms of class advantage, she is quite useful against the Saber enemies in the first two waves of both difficulties. Finally, she also grants a relevant bonus drop.

While she does not have Berserker bonus damage like Vlad or the sturdiness of Orion, Ryougi Shiki makes it up through the sheer damage output of her Noble Phantasm. Shiki has little trouble building up her NP bar and has access to a very relevant bonus. As a result, she is one of the premium choices for not only most Free to Play players, but also many spenders as well.

Although mostly forgotten thanks to her weak skill set, MHX manages to find her time to shine from time to time. This node is the perfect opportunity for the occasionally berated Assassin to take the stage, as her high NP Generation, Star Generation, bonus damage against Saber class enemies, and bonus NP damage against Saberfaces make her one of the best Jeanne Alter slayers currently available. Her bonus to Realta Alloy is fantastic as well, but it is truly the icing on the cake for this lovable comic relief Saber of Sabers.

Mid Recommendation

With no problem charging his Noble Phantasm and the ability to deliver a world of pain to anything that does not resist him, Ridertoki is an easy choice for this node. By wave 3 he will most definitely have his Noble Phantasm ready and is thus capable of heavily denting the bosses regardless of difficulty. His Star Generation is also quite valuable, especially when paired with someone like Orion or Zhuge Liang.

Similar to Sakata Kintoki, Jeanne Alter is someone you pick for raw damage without considering class advantage. Against a Servant who’s weak to nothing but Berserkers, this cynical corrupted maiden is a fantastic option.

This quartet of AoE Sabers is quite effective in the Annihilation Node. They all possess class advantage against Karna, a bonus to Realta Alloy and can soften Jeanne Alter at the same time with their Noble Phantasm. Unfortunately they are no good for the Explosion node due to being weak to Archers

The Count does not have the sheer destructive firepower of Jeanne Alter, but for neutral damage he is still a very notable choice. He also grants a much better bonus for this node, Realta Alloy, and can also provide Critical Stars to set up his teammates.

When all things fail, go for Berserkers. Lancelot’s Noble Phantasm is quite useful for both difficulties, thanks to the damage and the Critical Stars it generates. His big problem is his extreme frailty as a Berserker. Without protection, Lancelot might not even be able to make it to wave 3.

Similar to Lancelot, Kintoki is capable of doing massive damage to both Jeanne Alter and Euryale. While he does not contribute to the team in terms of generating Critical Stars, he has no problem building up his NP bar to get ready for Wave 3. It’s highly recommended to put him into the backline prior to Wave 3 or have someone who can protect him as he is no less frail than Lancelot and can die quickly if things go wrong.

Smol loli oni is an effective secondary damage dealer for this node. Her advantage over her fellow Berserkers is her more balanced skillset between Offense and Survivability. Her single target Noble Phantasm also deals good damage, with a highly useful buff removal side effect against Jeanne Alter, but she will need external help to reach a 100% NP bar by Wave 3.

Low Recommendation

Considering both the main bosses of this node are female, Jack is a natural choice to handle them. Her downside, however, is her complete lack of a relevant bonus drop for this node, as well as having no class advantage against all the enemies in both nodes. Carmilla also deserves a small mention, as she grants a bonus of Oil while also sharing the niche of anti-female, albeit at a much weaker level.

Despite having no bonus drops, his ability to blow apart either the first or second wave thanks to his class advantage can shorten the farming time substantially, especially if players want to bring out someone from the backline who is more suited for the 3rd wave but not that great for the first two waves.

Despite his forgettable appearance, this mad king is actually a good farming Servant in his own right. With very low Party cost, a Berserker damage bonus and high availability, an Erik with level 5 Noble Phantasm can clear the first or second wave easily, or weaken the last wave for his teammates to clean up.

Both of the voluptuous versions of Altria grant a great bonus to Realta Alloy. Furthermore, they also possess class advantage against Euryale for the Explosion node and decent neutral AoE Damage against both Karna and Jeanne Alter for the Annihilation node. However, they are hopeless for the first two waves in either node as the enemies are mainly Sabers, forcing them to rely on teammates to ensure they are alive by Wave 3.

This node is somewhat easier compared to the other nodes. As always, it depends on the available Servants each player possesses, but a relevant and strong support Servant can carry this node more reliably compared to the other nodes. The appearance of Daemon enemies in this node makes it even more attractive, as Hearts of the Foreign God are still one of the most desired materials for ascension and leveling.

The most problematic part of this node’s Annihilation difficulty lies with Arjuna’s ability to charge his Noble Phantasm with one of his skills while also possessing only 3 charges for his NP bar. A badly timed Pashupata can completely wipe the party. The priority should be to take out Arjuna as soon as possible. Thankfully, this is not particularly hard due to him “only” possessing 91,751 HP.

High Recommendation

Raikou can turn every farming mission into a walk through the park. This node is no exception. With one of the strongest Noble Phantasms in the game, further boosted by bonus damage against both Arjuna and the Demons, she is by far the best Servant to bring to this node. If you don’t have your own Mama Raikou, then it’s time to borrow your friend’s mom.

Easily one of the strongest picks for this node. The King of Kings’ skillset is a fantastic mix of offense and support. With class advantage against the Demon for both difficulties, high raw damage and a bonus to Eadrom Alloy, it is hard to turn down a spot for Ozy in any team.

With one of the strongest AoE Noble Phantasms in the game, class advantage against the Demons and a bonus to Eadrom Alloy, it is a no-brainer for many players to bring Santa along for power farming in this node.

Mid Recommendation

Unfortunately for Brynhild, Arjuna is not a hero worthy of her attention to receive extra Brynhildr’s Beloved damage. Nonetheless, she is possibly the best choice out of the available Lancers to kill him for the Annihilation node, all the while boosting Eadrom Alloy drops as well.

These two Servants serve as viable replacements for Servants like Santa Alter. As long as they can survive and get their NP bar ready for Wave 3, they can soften the entire wave for their teammates to clean up.

Despite her poor compatibility against Arjuna, Nero Bride can do a lot of good work in this node. She has a strong supportive skillset that benefits any damage dealer and her advantage against the Homunculi allow her to help out in clearing the first two waves. She can also weaken the Demon with her single target Noble Phantasm as her NP generation rate is fantastic. Afterwards, her teammates can clean up the fight.

Alexander is a decent substitution for Santa Alter. As a 3-Star Servant, it is relatively easy to get high NP level for him. Furthermore, his skillset offers decent utility, he has a good drop bonus and he can weaken Wave 3 with his AoE Noble Phantasm.

Low Recommendation

Both Cu’s are possible F2P substitutes for Brynhild. Thanks to their low cost and rarity, both versions of Cu Chulainn are fairly easy to get high Noble Phantasm level with. While their effectiveness against anything else is limited, they should have no trouble surviving and killing Arjuna while also providing a bonus to Eadrom Alloy.

These AoE Riders cannot match Ozymandias in terms of utility, nor Santa Alter in terms of damage output. Nonetheless, both Iskander’s and Medusa’s (provided she has a high NP level) damage with their Noble Phantasms are still fairly impressive. If their NP bars are ready for Wave 3, they can serve as effective softeners for both Difficulties.

Rama does not have a relevant bonus for this node, but considering the majority of mobs are Lancers while the bosses of both Difficulties are Demons, he naturally makes sense as a potential Boss Slayer candidate.

At first glance, this node seems fairly easy because the enemy composition is simply “lots and lots of Sabers”. However, there is only one Archer with a bonus to the right Alloy, which means it is hard to efficiently farm the map without giving up some drop bonus, or roll the gacha.

The boss of this node being a Spriggan also discourages a long fight, as his Critical Chance stacking can quickly overwhelm the team if left unchecked. His companion on the Annihilation difficulty, Sanzang, is not particularly troublesome, but her Taunt can mess up the planning of many Masters.

High Recommendation

Being the real moneymaker for this Part II, it is not surprising to see Altria holding the sole possession of the Archer slot that gives a bonus to Uisce Alloy. It is even less surprising when the entire node is tailor-made for her to show her worth, with her strong defensive support and powerful single target Noble Phantasm that can be used in quick succession.

Mid Recommendation

Thanks to her third skill - Angel’s Cry, Nightingale can serve as an effective support for Buster-centric Servants for this node (namely Emiya or Cu Alter). Her Berserker class also means her damage output is not half bad, especially considering she will do bonus damage against Sanzang.

Saint Martha can be a surprisingly effective pick for this node. Thanks to her Rider class, she has no trouble against Sanzang. Furthermore, her newly acquired Oath of the Holy Maiden is particularly effective against the Spriggan, removing his Critical buff stacking while improving the party’s damage output with the Defense debuff from this skill and her Noble Phantasm. The final cherry on top is her fantastic bonus to Uisce Alloy.

Similar to Florence Nightingale, Tamamo is the one to bring to compliment another damage dealer, in this case, an Arts-centric one. Summer Altria or David are notable examples that benefit from Tamamo’s presence.

These two Archers are both well-suited for this node. While Emiya provides strong AoE damage with his Noble Phantasm for wave clearing and decent Critical Star generation potential, Tristan has the advantage in terms of single-target damage and a much easier time charging his Noble Phantasm.

For players who don’t have a higher rarity Archer, David is the most well-suited amongst the rest. When supported by Servants like Tamamo no Mae, David can make quick work of the Spriggan. He is, however, not particularly amazing at taking out Sanzang but can provide support to other Servants that can.

Heracles’s inclusion is quite self-explanatory, especially considering the lack of solid Archers to choose from. While his bonus isn’t the best, he has one advantage over Archers in the Annihilation difficulty as he can handle Sanzang much more quickly.

Low Recommendation

While they won’t offer too much help for Explosion difficulty, their combination of a bonus drop and single-target damage against Casters earn them a place in a team going for the Annihilation difficulty.

These are strong single target damage dealers who offer neutral damage for both nodes. They aren’t the best choices for the job, but good enough to serve as a substitute for players who don’t have the most versatile selection of Servants.

These Archers deal fantastic AoE damage, have bonus damage against Sanzang and are also capable of dishing out massive Critical Hits. While they won’t offer any drop bonus for the node, their combat efficiency makes them desirable should there be no other suitable options for both clearing the node while maximizing drop bonuses.

While the selection of relevant Servants for this node is not particularly narrow in options, this node is potentially the most troublesome of part 2. The composition of enemies features multiple different classes altogether, with one of the most troublesome bosses, Nikola Tesla, appearing in the Annihilation difficulty.

Tesla’s infamous combination of a 3 charge NP bar, Invulnerability Pierce, and two skills that can charge his NP bar, make him a terror to fight for long. Taking Tesla out as fast as possible should be the priority for any team constructed for this node, or he will completely wipe out any team. Killing off Thomas Edison before Tesla is also ill-advised, as it will only give Tesla more turns in which he may choose to charge his NP bar.

High Recommendation

There is no Servant who can speed up the boss killing process like Zhuge Liang. Most of the damage dealers suitable for this node are in need of instant NP gauge fill and there is no man better for the job.

The best welfare Servant in the game is the cream of the crop amongst damage dealers suitable for this node. He can easily kill Leonardo da Vinci in Explosion difficulty as well as heavily injure Nikola Tesla in the Annihilation node thanks to his hard-hitting Noble Phantasm. His high NP and Critical Star generation only make him an even more stellar pick, as he can easily do another Noble Phantasm within a quick time frame to take out Thomas Edison as well.

This version of Kintoki trades sustainable damage for more burst damage against Nikola Tesla. His raw card damage thanks to his high Attack and Berserker bonus damage also make him better at taking out the first two waves, but his frailty can backfire heavily if not protected.

Sheer raw neutral damage is something Jeanne Alter does not lack for. For a troublesome node as this one, her fabled Critical Buster Brave Chain is very effective for the job, especially when bolstered by Zhuge Liang or the Anniversary Blond Mystic Code.

Lancelot is the only AoE Berserker who gives a bonus to Oil and offers more than just AoE damage. He is a very effective softener for the last wave, and mob killer for the first or second wave. However, Lancelot lacks a way to quickly charge his NP bar, as well as any form of survivability. Combine him with Waver.

Mid Recommendation

Thanks to her strong Single-Target Noble Phantasm and bonus to Oil, Kiyohime is a stellar pick for the Annihilation node. However, she is fairly average for the Explosion node, and the presence of Saber-class Helter Skelters also decreases her effectiveness in wave 1 and 2.

While he does not possess a Single-Target Noble Phantasm like Kiyohime (Lancer), Karna functions better as a Critical Damage Dealer who can deal massive pain to Tesla when provided with sufficient Critical Stars and support (Anniversary Blond is a good way to pull off this combo regularly). His AoE Noble Phantasm also serves as a decent softener for the last wave. Similar to Kiyohime, Karna is not particularly effective for the Explosion node and struggles against the Helter Skelters.

When this duo can pull off their trick, their damage output can be devastating. Setting up Anne Bonny and Mary Read requires a lot of support, as both their NP generation and Star generation are terrible. Nonetheless, their high NP damage and class advantage against Da Vinci for the Explosion difficulty and Edison for the Annihilation difficulty, make them a good option.

Low Recommendation

While these two Lancers do not offer any drop bonus, they are the currently the best Lancers against Tesla thanks to their trait bonus damage. Both of them have good NP generation and Star generation to boot, and generally function very well for this node.

Due to Tesla and Da Vinci possessing Invulnerability Pierce, Heracles isn’t as useful for this node as other nodes. Nonetheless, he is still a fantastic Berserker alternative to Ibaraki and Sakata Kintoki, and will certainly earn his keep for both difficulties.

A cheap alternative for Heracles. While Lu Bu does not have good survivability, he can potentially outdamage Heracles provided his NP level is high, which is considerably easier than getting a high NP level Heracles. It is advisable to bring someone who can protect him, as he can easily be taken out with an unfortunate Critical Hit.

David is a good filler pick thanks to a relevant bonus and his nice utility. While he most likely won’t be able to help much against Leonardo da Vinci and Nikola Tesla, due to both of them possessing Invulnerability Pierce, his class advantage against Saber and decent damage on his Noble Phantasm are useful enough for many F2P players. Use his Harp of Healing on the first two waves to reduce damage taken.

Similar to Part I, Part II of this event offers a node for players to farm all three materials at once. For players who lack a large selection of Craft Essences (or Servants) that grant bonus drops, this map can be an efficient way to farm them all at once. But for any specific material, this node is definitely not the best.

The composition of enemies for this node is somewhat easier compared to the other nodes. The wide selection of Servants who can grant a bonus to any of the three materials makes it even more bearable.

High Recommendation

Raikou’s AoE Noble Phantasm will deal massive damage to both Altera in the Annihilation node and the Ifreeta thanks to her skill - Mystic Slayer. Her strong Critical Damage output can easily clean up whatever is left standing after her initial onslaught.

Ozy has the much-needed class advantage against the various Casters and Ifreeta, while also offering one of the strongest support skillsets in the game. While he does not have any advantage against Altera for the Annihilation node, his sheer utility and firepower are more than enough to earn him a spot in any team.

A simple but effective pick for this node. Santa Alter’s high AoE damage is more than enough to handle the Ifreeta in both nodes while dealing considerable damage to Altera at the same time. Her teammates can clean up afterwards.

Summer Altria is particularly effective in the Annihilation node thanks to her advantage over Altera. Her performance in the Explosion node is not as great due to a lack of class advantage, but overall she is still a great pick thanks to her bonus and consistent damage output.

Rama possesses a powerful Noble Phantasm with very strong bonus damage against the Ifreeta which is relevant in both difficulties. His damage output as a Critical Damage Dealer is also quite fantastic, allowing him to remain effective even when he doesn’t have his Noble Phantasm ready.

Despite lacking class advantage against all the enemies in this node, Martha’s third skill, Limbs of Jacob, is a very powerful steroid against both the Ifreeta and Altera, allowing her to function well in both nodes. Unfortunately for Martha, aside from when her 3rd skill is active, her damage isn’t exactly the best despite her high Attack and heavy Buster deck.

These Servants are decent alternatives to Minamoto-no-Raikou as an effective softener for the last waves of both nodes. Unlike Raikou however, they do not possess Raikou’s Critical Damage Dealing capacity, as well as her powerful booster against Divine / Demonic enemies. Their self-stun after using their Noble Phantasm is also a heavy disadvantage that should be planned around.

With the majority of prominent Servants for this node being Buster Servants, Florence Nightingale is a natural choice to improve their performance. Her Berserker class and Understanding of the Human Body are also decent sources of damage against Altera.

Alongside Summer Altria, Vlad III is the best Arts offensive Servant for this node. Thanks to him being a Berserker and his skill set, he is more offensive compared to Summer Altria and deals strong damage against not only Altera but also the Ifreeta.

Tamamo no Mae’s effectiveness in Arts team is indisputable, but outside of Arts teams she is rather uninfluential. If the main damage dealer of the team is Arts-centric (Summer Altria, Vlad) then Tamamo is an easy pick for the node.

Summer Mordred’s ability to spam her AoE Noble Phantasm is staggering. While she won’t be particularly effective against Altera, she is one of the most efficient Servants to clear out the Ifreeta and other mobs.

For F2P players aiming to farm the Annihilation difficulty, Robin Hood is an amazing ally. His nuking potential and class advantage are more than enough to obliterate Altera, allowing his teammates to clean up the fight against the Ifreeta.

Another F2P friendly Servant that is well-suited for this node. Ushiwakamaru’s damage output might not be on the same level, but she offers more utility and class advantage against the majority of enemies in both Difficulties. Last but not least, as Uisce Alloy is more valuable, her bonus is arguably better than Robin Hood as well.

Low Recommendation

With both a worse rate of NP spamming and relevant bonus drop, Orion is considered a poorer substitute for Summer Altria. Nonetheless, with the proper support, she can still function extremely well in the Annihilation Node thanks to her high damage Noble Phantasm and her class advantage against Altera.

This Pirate captain is second to none when farming Caster enemies. Even without any relevant bonus drop for this node, Drake is still a good choice for players who lack better alternatives as she can function very well in both difficulties. Drake’s self-sufficiency ensures she can perform up to her level in most teams without trouble.

With one of the best drop bonuses and class advantage against the Caster enemies in both difficulties, Saint Martha is a good filler pick. While her damage output is not outstanding, her AoE Noble Phantasm can still weaken the enemies considerably thanks to its Defense down debuff.

These Casters are all situational supports who can bolster specific Servants’ performance while also providing bonus drops, making them decent alternatives for players without a strong selection of Servants.